Chapter 1223: Unexpected

Chapter 1223: The Unforeseen

Every system, having weathered the sediment of time, inevitably forms an inherent framework and the various constituent branches that prop it up.

Within this construct, unless an individual's prowess is so defiance of heaven as to be absolute, they must abide by the rules of the framework, finding it exceedingly difficult to shake those branches.

After all, the branches comprising this structure are themselves entities of significant and prominent might.

Moreover, they have often coalesced through dozens, hundreds, or even more generations, hardening into factions and becoming a part of the system's very laws.

In the Fifth Star Ring, the eleven Heavens Beyond Heavens were precisely the eleven grandest branches.

The vast multitude of stronghold-like factions existing within these Heavens were both the maintainers and the beneficiaries of their respective domains, while simultaneously serving as parts of the branches themselves.

They were like massive vortices, exuding an extreme pulling force that influenced every living thing and all matters within the entire Fifth Star Ring.

Thus, as ordinary cultivators, what did they possess to shake such a reality?

Consequently, after Zhou Zhengli coughed, the words spoken by this group were like sharp, peerless divine abilities and Daoist methods, falling upon heaven and earth, falling into the minds and spirits of the jailers.

Like meteors plunging into the sea!

Every single sentence forced a tremor into the depths of one's heart.

Compounded by the light of those command tokens, the great waves churning within the hearts of the foreign-race jailers here naturally swelled wave after wave, ultimately coalescing into a storm.

With such backgrounds, with such a lineup...

A sense of powerlessness inevitably rose within the hearts of the two wardens as well.

They could tell that this group of people was clearly a band of scions!

And they were scions whose own cultivation bases and natural aptitudes surpassed the ordinary.

Generally speaking, such existences were mostly ascendants hailing from the Immortal Capital!

In the Immortal Capital, it appeared on the surface that there were only a few orthodox sects, but in reality, dragons and snakes mingled within; as a seedbed, every Heaven Beyond Heaven had placed its chess pieces there, either openly or in the shadows.

Even if there were those who went unnoticed for a time, once they grew naturally and walked out of the Immortal Capital, they would immediately draw the attention of all sides, to be contacted and absorbed.

Regarding this, the two wardens understood perfectly well in their hearts.

Yet what baffled them was...

Even ascendants were usually dispersed, and a situation where they were so concentrated into a single squad should not have occurred.

And now...

The two wardens gazed at the people before them, the sense of powerlessness in their hearts deepening by a few degrees.

In terms of combat power, they were clearly no match.

In terms of background, it went without saying.

"And they are even Material-Procuring Envoys..."

The duo felt bitter.

At the same time, Xing Huanzi had already led dozens of ascendants, taking the lead to barge into the prison inside the statue, initiating this mission.

Thereupon, Xie Lingzi, Yuan Shansu, and Qian Junbiyi also dispersed, some alone and others with companions, entering the prison from different entryways.

Li Mengtu was among them.

Their respective zones differed, and their division of labor was clear.

As for those remaining outside, there were only a dozen or so people.

Xu Qing, naturally, had no need to go personally, and after some thought, Zhou Zhengli also chose to remain by Xu Qing's side.

And Seaweed... it did not enter the prison either.

It circled outside the prison statue, replacing the original defenses of the prison, spreading its own pressure and using its divine sense to assist everyone, rendering the exploration of the prison more comprehensive.

This practiced display fell into the eyes of the jailers and the two wardens, giving them the distinct impression that it was clearly not the first time this group had done such a thing.

In truth, after experiencing the events of the Huntian Universe, this group of Xu Qing's had already attained a certain degree of tacit understanding in their mutual cooperation.

As for now, seeing that the others had already entered the prison, Xu Qing simply sat down cross-legged, nurturing his cultivation base while also pondering how to handle the aftermath of this matter.

Acting in this manner would naturally provoke a backlash, and an inquiry would inevitably follow in the future.

As for the methods to counter it, though there were several, the simplest was actually still to seek the Nine-Colored Ice.

"However, now that they have all revealed their backgrounds, I am actually no longer bearing the primary responsibility; this is a collective decision made by everyone."

Xu Qing mused silently.

Time flowed slowly in this manner.

Zhou Zhengli was also meditating, and beside him, the dozen or so ascendants who had not entered the prison sat cross-legged, yet they would occasionally open their eyes, their gazes falling upon the entrance of the prison.

Clearly, they wished to go in as well.

But according to the plan, a rear guard had to remain outside, so they would proceed in batches.

And just as they were frequently looking toward the entrance, while the faces of the jailers and the two wardens here grew increasingly somber, suddenly, a figure flew out rapidly from one of the entrances.

The one who appeared was not a cultivator from Xu Qing's squad, but a foreign-race jailer of this place; upon manifesting, he immediately knelt before the two wardens and spoke in a low voice.

"Milords, they... after entering the prison, they indeed put on a show of searching at first, but upon seeing the imprisoned gods..."

"They began to interrogate the gods, drawing out source matter under the pretext of torture, and by now, the source cores of dozens of imprisoned gods have collapsed."

"If this continues..."

The jailer hesitated.

Hearing this, the two wardens' expressions turned even uglier, and they raised their heads to glare at Xu Qing and the others.

The elderly man among them spoke in a deep voice.

"Fellow Daoist, this is the private prison of the seventeen clans of the Lingguang Heaven Beyond Heaven; though it accepts jurisdiction, such plundering will surely be investigated and punished!"

"Moreover, we have guarded this place for many years and know the interior like the back of our hands; there is fundamentally no such thing as a so-called jailbreak or rebellion, your eating posture and pretext are far too clumsy!"

Xu Qing did not speak; this pretext was merely something Zhou Zhengli had thought of on the spur of the moment.

And the other ascendants remaining outside were none of them thin-skinned individuals; they had come here precisely for the source matter, so their expressions remained entirely normal at this moment.

As for Zhou Zhengli, his expression turned solemn, and he nodded with gravity.

"The two Milords speak with reason, the actions of my teammates are indeed somewhat crude, I shall dissuade them right away."

"Fellow Daoists, I must trouble you to go down and exercise some supervision over them."

As Zhou Zhengli spoke, he looked toward those ascendants who had long been waiting outside with impatience.

Upon hearing these words, everyone's expressions turned solemn, and they rose one after another.

"Precisely so!"

"Indeed excessive!"

"We shall go and dissuade them at once!"

Amidst their words, these dozen or so ascendants immediately flew out, charging straight for the prison entrance.

How could the two wardens fail to see the trickery in this scene? Consequently, the fury in their hearts grew even denser, but they also knew their combat power was insufficient, so after looking at each other, they both saw the resolve in each other's eyes.

“These people are brazen beyond measure! This matter must be reported with the utmost severity!”

“The Bureau of Resource Procurement has made many enemies in the past—such conduct now is truly excessive!”

“You join forces with the Seventeen Venerables and submit your report to Lingguang Immortal Palace. I shall gather other factions and report directly to Jiuan Immortal Palace. No matter how powerful their backing may be, such actions demand punishment!”

Having reached this resolve, the two Wardens immediately produced jade slips and began recording their accounts.

Meanwhile, the harvesting continued.

Within the prison, as hordes of Ascended Ones surged in, the scope of Essence extraction expanded ever wider. The jailers here stood utterly powerless to stop them.

After all, the arrays within this prison were designed to restrain deities—not cultivators, especially not human cultivators.

Yet deep within the prison’s lowermost reaches, in a region Star Ring Zi and his companions had not yet explored, an alien essence hung thick in the air. Divine talismans shimmered along its perimeter, isolating the area as if sealed away from the world.

All that could be seen was a dense, impenetrable mist.

And deep within that mist stood—an altar!

Forged from the very bones of gods, upon it sat four twisted figures in meditation.

Grotesque forms, writhing tentacles, and waves of divine energy radiated subtly from their bodies.

“Our plan has been exceedingly secret. Those lesser races here have long been veiled—none have sensed even a trace…”

“Even those two human quasi-immortals have had hidden thoughts implanted by our Sovereign, clouding their perception.”

“How then could outsiders possibly detect us?”

The four deities exchanged resonant divine voices within their shared domain of authority.

“This incursion by the outsiders… they likely haven’t fully uncovered us—only grown suspicious!”

“That explains why they haven’t found this place yet—but their search grows ever deeper.”

“Indeed. My external divine awareness has already sensed many of our kin being interrogated, their essences drained nearly dry.”

“If this continues, they will inevitably discover us!”

“So… do we continue observing in silence—or strike first?”

Silence fell among the four gods.

After a long pause, divine voices stirred once more.

“Our Sovereign has not yet fully returned—only a faint tether remains. We ourselves are unprepared. If we act prematurely, even should the Sovereign return, It will be in a state of profound weakness.”

“But if we delay, we may lose even the chance for Its return.”

“We have prepared for so many years… Where did we falter? How could we have been discovered?”

Again, silence.

This sudden external investigation had caught them utterly off guard. They had also heard rumors of the human cultivators’ claims—of rebellion and mass escape during interrogations.

Each god’s heart churned with unease.

Had they been granted just a little more time, their plan would have proceeded flawlessly. Not only would their Sovereign cross over, but through the star-ring tether of Its return, they themselves could escape the Fifth Star Ring.

But now…

“Brooding serves no purpose. I support striking early!”

“Seconded!”

Golden radiance blazed from the four deities. Their divine voices merged into accord, and in unison, they pressed their hands upon the altar.

In the next instant, the altar roared. A terrifying force erupted from within, unleashing a golden tempest that surged upward through the prison.

At that very moment, in the mid-levels of the prison, Star Ring Zi and his group were extracting Essence from a dying deity, on the verge of draining it completely.

Suddenly, thunderous booms shook the entire prison. Alien essence flooded every corridor, plunging the world within into darkness.

Growls echoed from every direction.

The deities—were rebelling!

Star Ring Zi sensed it instantly. He froze for a heartbeat, then his expression turned grave. His perception swept outward, revealing countless golden pillars of light piercing the heavens—

—and wave after wave of awakening presences!

“An actual rebellion?”

His mind reeled, disbelief warring with dread.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, he immediately dispatched companions to report the crisis.

…

One incense stick later.

On the statue housing the Divine Prison, the two Wardens were still inscribing their reports, preparing to petition Tianwaitian to punish Xu Qing and his group.

Xu Qing sat cross-legged, eyes closed.

But in the next breath, his eyes snapped open—puzzlement flickering within—as he gazed downward.

Almost the moment he looked, two figures burst forth from the entrance: one a jailer, the other an Ascended One.

Both flew straight toward their respective camps, voices ringing with urgency:

“My lord—the deities below are indeed attempting escape!”

At these words, Xu Qing’s gaze sharpened. Instinctively, he turned to Zhou Zhengli.

Zhou Zhengli stood frozen in shock.

Even the surrounding jailers—who moments before had seethed with resentment toward Xu Qing’s group—now stared dumbfounded, minds reeling.

The two Wardens’ thoughts exploded like thunderclaps. They dropped their jade slips, cold sweat beading on their brows, disbelief giving way to terror.

It was real—an actual breakout!

Before they could react, the earth trembled violently. Golden pillars tore through the surface, soaring skyward.

Alien essence thickened in the air.

Breathing raggedly, the two Wardens instinctively looked to Xu Qing. All prior anger and suspicion vanished without a trace.

They knew too well what a divine breakout meant—for them personally.

“My lord!”

Desperation laced their simultaneous cries.

Whether or not they fully trusted Xu Qing’s intentions no longer mattered. What mattered now was survival—how to contain this catastrophe.

Xu Qing’s eyes darkened. Slowly, he rose from his seated position.

His cultivation erupted in full force, unleashing a world-shaking pressure that crashed down upon the golden radiance and alien essence spewing from the statue.

The statue groaned under the assault.

And in that same instant, Xu Qing’s voice rumbled low and firm from his lips.

“This prison is now under our temporary control!”

“Zhou Zhengli, spread the word—everyone is to suppress immediately the rebellious deities attempting to break free!”